How to Get Covered by Offline Media

April 26, 2007

Who wouldn’t like to get their picture in a newspaper? In most cases it is just going to build up your name and provide the perception that you are successful. Most people do this by paying a PR company, but if you don’t have much money here is how you can get covered in publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Wired Magazine:

Figure out who is in the limelight.In my industry (Internet marketing) I noticed that sites like Digg and a lot of contributors on Digg were getting covered by online and offline media. The way I figured this out was by browsing through all the trade publications in my industry. Once I figured out who was getting the buzz I started to get to know some of those people. Some of the people who were getting interviewed listed their emails and AIM screen names publicly. I simply created a list and started contacting these individuals.

Start asking questions
Once you get to know the people who are getting interviewed ask them on how they got contacted by the media. In most cases they will tell you that journalists just contact them because they found them on XYZ.com. What you want to do is try to replicate the effect they created as well as ask them if they can drop your name to the journalist because usually at the end of an interview a journalist will ask “do you know anyone else that I could potentially interview”. This should help increase the number of journalists that contact you.

Build relationships
When you get interviewed by a journalist make sure you are very friendly. You want to build a relationship with the journalist so that the next time they need to interview someone in your industry they think of you. One of the things you should always do is give them more than they require because that will definitely improve the chances of them interviewing you in the future.
Rinse and repeat
After you do this with a few people you need to keep the wheels in motion and not stop there. The thing with media is that one minute one thing maybe hot and the next minute something else is hot. You have to keep on finding the people who are getting interviewed as well as build relationships with journalists because the window for you to get in there is very small.

Great advice. I’d also look at working into speaking engagements, these are often good avenues to mainstream press. Speaking gigs grant a lot of credibility (especially to those outside the industry, viz. potential clients), garner more link citations, and in turn media exposure.

Great advice as always, Neil. Building relationships with the media community is definitely the way to go.

Not only should you give the reporters more than they’re asking for, some of them will be very appreciative if you can help them with additional information that they’re seeking–ask them if there’s anything that you can help them research or anything that you can do to make their job easier like finding additional people for them to talk to.

Also, you don’t always have to hit a “home run” all the time with the larger news media like the WSJ. Your local news media is a great place to start, as well, especially because a lot of the bigger news outlets find their stories from local news outlets.

Getting your name in front of your local journalists can be as easy as sending (or better yet — delivering) printed press releases that you’ve written to them. Email is great, but it’s easy to delete and doesn’t seem to have the same impact.

Of course, you also need to know to whom you’re sending the press release (so do some research), and make sure that it’s written about something they cover (research), and make sure it’s well written (be smart and have something unique and insightful to say).

They might not do anything with your story the first time they get something from you (or the second or third), but if you keep your name in front of them they’ll remember you when they need a quote or a source for a story related to your area of expertise.

Unlike some of the other But-kissers who comment with just “great post” to get top commentator,
I want to say I think you have a good start but
You’re missing something here
press releases
press releases have to be the Top way to be covered in offline media
many of the web pr services offer parts where you can include a podcast , a sample audio interview and even a video clip.
its not easy to actually write a press release that gets picked up but once you know what journalists and editors are looking for
Easy and interesting
then you have a good start.
this is a subject worthy of much deeper discussion. I will be adding a post about effective Press releases my site soon
thanks and take care
bryan

I was recently speaking with Don over at free publicity focus group, (who I incidentally met because of a comment he made on your site) and he was talking about the same things. The importance of looking at offline sources of media as well. Don is putting some things together for me to help me build some brand awareness with both online and offline media. I have a very unique position in my market so we will see if it catches on with the media.

I have used facebook to build relationships with alot of local media outlets, then when special events come up I can invite them and It also trickles down to all of their followers… Think of it as a social press release.

The more you put yourself in uncomfortable positions, the easier it will be for to grow on a mental level. Plus you never know who you’re talking too… someone that maybe even able to help you grow your business…

Great post. In this day in age people forget the old ways. It is always fun to see yourself in the paper. I used to model and I loved it. It would be nice to be in the paper for something a bit more respectable, not that modeling isn’t but, i guess more intellectual.

I have been planning to get out some press releases from one coming project of mine and needed some ideas on what kind of follow up i should give to have a higher probability to get on the news. Thanks for the tips!

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Hi Neil !
After six years of published this post, how do you explain the changing scenario of offline media. what is the future of offline media and how online media getting popular? can you compare some data factors here?

I still think it is similar, but now the offline media is getting a lot of their stories from the web. Just look at all of the new anchors that say “follow me on Twitter”. They are all going to the web as that is where breaking stories are taking place.

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This happened to my by accident the other day. I was being friendly and shared a video with someone and then she happened to be a contributor to Forbes and all these other publications. A day later she wanted a story from me so she can use at BBC. It pays to be nice.

Well ! Neil you have got a great seance of how to build the relationship as you said in the blog, its completely true. If you want to get highlighted you need to be good with the person who is going to broadcast you.

I am currently developing my own knowledge of digital marketing alongside my day job. I am seriously suffering alot with information overload. But this article made something click with me, that is… The way that a lot of smaller businesses with smaller budgets need to still follow the the change in technology and I the integrated approach businesses should be creating an integrated approach to the overall marketing strategy as the world is even more nosier than ever. Thanks for sharing some great insights.

I’d also look at working into speaking engagements, these are often good avenues to a mainstream press. Speaking gigs grant a lot of credibility -especially to those outside the industry- viz. potential clients, garner more link citations, and in turn media exposure.

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